All Comes Back to This
by Mightily Mousey
Summary: Of all the things that happen, of all the things that change, it all comes back to this: love. AU, future yaoi, many pairings but the main ones will be SephirothxCloud and CidxVincent WIP
1. Year 02 BS

**Title:** All Comes Back to This

**Chapter: **Chapter 1 – Year 02 BS

**Author:** SBX

**Fandom:** Final Fantasy VII

**Pairing:** None yet.

**Rating:** PG-13

**Archive:** To Fanfiction (dot) Net and eventually my website. If you'd like to archive it, just tell me where it's going to end up.

**Disclaimer:** Almost all the characters belong to Square Soft.

**Warnings:** Alternate universe, eventual yaoi

**Notes:** The first chapter of my AU FF7 fic. Each chapter will contain the events of an important year in my time line. I have no idea of how years and dates work in the FF7 world, so I'm identify years as either 'Before Sephiroth (BS)' or 'After Sephiroth (AS)' because we all know Sephy makes the world go 'round. :D Nothing happens quite as it should as you will soon find out, and it all comes back to one person: Cloud (because he make the world go 'round, too XD). And, as you will soon realize after reading this chapter, I've taken some liberties with some of the characters. Also, some characters will start out as 'in character' but will eventually become a little 'out of character.' Not because I don't know how to write their personalities correctly, or because I dislike them, but because of natural character growth. If OOC-ness bothers you, then turn around now.

--------------------------------

February 22, Year 02 Before Sephiroth Wutai Mountains 

Early morning, still dark, thunder rolled and the wind howled as a dragon swooped and soared, eyes in constant motion searching for potential threats. She would not let anything approach her Queen on this special day of days. Never would she let anything interrupt the birth of the new Prince.

Lightning crashed nearby obliterating a great, ancient oak tree. The dragon eyed the smoldering tree remains wearily. If the storm kept up like this there was a potential for a forest fire, and would put the Queen and her offspring in danger. With the lightning came the thunder, so loud that it was almost painful to the dragon's sensitive ears.

The ringing that the sound produced almost prevented the dragon from hearing what she had been half listening for; a single, wailing cry that pierced through the sudden calm in the storm. The dragon flapped her mighty wings once to change direction, then allowed herself to glide gracefully toward the sound she had been almost breathlessly anticipating for months now.

The dragon landed outside of a cave, the source of the sound that had by now been quieted. The large creature had to huddle down to be able to fit through the entrance. She peered into the dim cave, its only illumination a rapidly fading fire, and spotted its Queen lying in the back on a bed of furs.

Kaida, Queen of the Dragoon people, and formerly last of her kind cradled a tiny infant that she had been forced to deliver herself. She gazed at her child lovingly with a gentle smile and silent tears. The dragon wondered at her Queens's tears. She had an offspring! She should be happy! And she was happy, but the dragon could tell that she was also a little bit sad too. Did she miss her mate? Did she wish he was here to share in the joyous experience? Incapable of reading her Queens mind, the dragon was forced to give her thoughts voice.

_/My Queen, what troubles you/_

Kaida looked up, startled. When she saw her self appointed guard, she smiled warmly. "Ah, Koko. I apologize for not noticing you sooner. I was off in my own little world again," she murmured quietly in an attempt to avoid waking the child. The dragon rolled its eyes and gave her own version of a smile.

_/Understandable, My Queen. The child is quite a sight. And a boy no less! A future heartbreaker _he'll_ be, make no mistake/_

Kaida chuckled at Koko's enthusiasm. "Indeed, he will. He'll break at least one person's heart once or twice before he gets it right," she stated cryptically, a sly smile gracing her features. The dragon gazed at her curiously, a suspicion forming in her mind.

_/You've already gazed into the boy's future…/_

It was almost an accusation. Koko never quite approved of meddling in people's futures, whether it was for their own good or not. Kaida sighed sadly. "I have indeed. I'm afraid I won't live to see him grow to adulthood, so please allow me this small indulgence," she requested softly, not able to meet her companion's eyes. Koko stared at her in horror.

_/What do you mean you won't see him grow! Are…are you dieing/_

Kaida squeezed her eyes shut as she responded, "I am. There was a complication. I'm bleeding internally and there is no way to stop it. Which brings me to a something I must ask you." The Queen opened her eyes, all the strength and determination that came with her heritage shining in them as she gazed at the dragon. "I want you to deliver my child to a new family in Rocket Town on the Western continent. There is a couple who lives on the outskirts of the town that is incapable of having a child of their own and desperately want one. I want you to deliver my child to them safely. Can you do that for me?" Koko squeezed her own eyes closed, wishing with she was capable of crying, and nodded.

_/I will do what you ask, My Queen. The Prince's future is safe with me. /_

Kaida smiled gratefully, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She didn't say another word after that as she calmly and carefully prepared her son for travel. She wrapped him in thick furs, tucking him securely into a large basket. In the side she placed an envelope containing a letter she had prepared for the possibility, no, the inevitability this would happen.

Finally she pressed a parting kiss to her son's forehead, her tears overflowing and falling on his face. Still he slept deeply. Kaida held the basket up for Koko, letting the dragon delicately take the handle in her mouth. But before she left, Koko had one more question.

_/What is the child's name/_

Kaida smiled proudly is she stated, "Shido. His name is Shido."

--------------------------------

**Sunset the Same Day**

_**Rocket Town**_

Sherry Highwind stood on her front porch watching the sunset, admiring all the beautiful colors that one could only see at this time of day. Soon all the color would be gone, leaving behind deep navy blue and white specks. And she didn't mind this. She loves the stars as much as her husband loves the soothing blue that comes with daylight. Sometimes she wished she could reach up and touch them, though she knows this is impossible. She'll just have to settle for using her telescope to get closer to the stars.

A breeze picked up, blowing her blond locks around. Sherry closed her eyes, reveling in one of the few quiet moments the busy little town she lived in allowed. Small town or not, Rocket Town and its people were always active. Peace wasn't something easy to come by.

So enthralled in the moment was Sherry that she almost didn't hear the strange sound in front of her. When she finally registered it, her eyes snapped open, the confusion on her face quickly turning to terror. Inches from her face was the face of a dragon, its sky blue eyes staring into hers. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out.

Woman and dragon stared at each other in utter silence. Sherry couldn't be sure but she got the feeling that the creature before her was trying to stare into her very soul. She was startled from her paralysis by a sudden wail somewhere below her. She recognized the sound instantly, and without any regard for her own safety Sherry broke eye contact to search out the sounds origin.

There, in a basket placed neatly at her feet was a baby. Sherry kneeled instinctively to retrieve the infant in order to calm it. Once the baby was no longer crying she looked up to see what the dragon was doing, and was stunned to realize that it was gone.

Sherry was still kneeling with the baby in her arms when her husband found her sometime later. When he saw her pale complexion he was immediately alarmed and hurried to her side. "Sherry! You okay? Are you hur—what the hell!" he cried, worry turning to shock at the sight of the baby in her arms.

Sherry blinked at him, still a little stunned, but getting better. She looked at her husband, her ever practical husband and realized she couldn't tell him the about the dragon. He simply wouldn't believe her. So, she decided, she would omit that part. She gave him a shaky smile as she said, "Look, Sidney. The stork brought us a baby."

Sidney blinked at her, then chuckled. "So he did. Well, we've been wantin' a kid. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, I always say," he stated gruffly. However gruff his reply, he couldn't help the grin that was spreading across his face. Sherry smiled back, her enthusiasm quickly matching her husband's. Sidney turned his eyes back down to the baby thoughtfully. "He looks like he could use a good meal," he stated authoritatively, "I'll head into town and get him some stuff, 'kay?" With that he pressed a happy kiss to his wife's lips before taking off at a run into town. "We can have a celebration with the whole town t'morrow!" he cried over his should, grinning like a loon.

Sherry laughed at her husband's antics, before turning her gaze to the sky. She smiled up at it, happy tears spilling from her eyes. She wasn't sure who she was saying it to, but she said it. "Thank you. You answered all of my prayers."

--------------------------------

**Notes #2: **You guys know who the baby is, right? I don't have to spell it out for you, do I? It's Cid, of course! And 'gasp' he was adopted! Ha! He would be horrified to know he hails from the same parts as Yuffie.

I feel the inexplicable need to explain the names chosen for the people in this chapter. Not that anybody really cares, but I'll tell you anyway.

Shido: The Japanese pronunciation of 'Cid.' Plain and simple.

Kaida: Once I decided to use 'Shido' as Cid's real name, I decided to use Japanese names for his mother and the dragon. This also led to me deciding that Cid would be born in Wutai, but that's not the point. So, for lack of a better idea, I went crawling through one of those baby name dictionaries on the web and looked for Japanese names and found Kaida, which means 'little dragon.' I liked how the name looked, and I liked the symbolism, so I picked it.

Koko: Means 'stork.' When I saw this one I almost died laughing. It was perfect for the purpose Koko would serve. The "the stork brought us a baby" line was born from this. This is the shit you get from over thinking names for your characters…

Sherry: Based on Shera's name. I thought it was a cute idea at the time, and I'm still really fond of it. I'm probably one of the few CidxVincent fans that still likes Shera after Square Soft had Cid and Shera get married. Shera is a sweetheart and nobody will ever make me think different.

Sidney: If you don't get where this one comes from then there is no hope for you.

Also in this chapter you will see the beginning of a trend that I've begun to notice about myself. I tend to kill off my original characters. I've planned the majority of this story pretty far in advance and I know for a fact that all of the originals that I made up die at some point. So if you're the type who really hates original characters, then this is the fic for you.


	2. Year Zero

**Title:** All Comes Back to This

**Chapter: **Chapter 2 – Year Zero

**Author:** SBX

**Fandom:** Final Fantasy VII

**Pairing:** Hojo/Lucrecia, Vincent+Lucrecia (hinted)

**Rating:** PG-13

**Archive:** To Fanfiction (dot) Net and eventually my website. If you'd like to archive it, just tell me where it's going to end up.

**Disclaimer:** Almost all the characters belong to Square Soft.

**Warnings:** Alternate universe, eventual yaoi

**Notes:** The birth of Sephiroth. Or what happens immediately after his birth, that is. (If anybody knows if Sephiroth has an official birthday, could you please tell me? Thank you.) I like Lucrecia as much as I like Shera for some reason. It may be because she is already 'dead' and can't get in the way of a budding relationship between Cid and Vincent. Heh, that's probably it. Anyway, pay close attention to this chapter. The first of the differences between the official story and mine take place here. Also, a little plot twist that'll be really important later is hinted at as well. A cookie to anybody that figures out what it is. Now on to the chapter!

--------------------------------

Year Zero Shinra Manson, Nibelheim 

Lucrecia stared down at the infant laid out on the table as the he stared up at her. She found it a little bit odd that the boy had yet to cry once since his birth a few days ago. Didn't normal babies cry a lot when they want something? But then, her child was anything but normal. Hojo made certain of that.

Oh how she hated that man. She hated him for what he did to her and her child. He had no right to hurt his own wife and child in such a way. She hated him for fooling her into thinking that the experiments were for the good of science and the world. Now she knows that they are only for the good of himself and Shinra. Most of all, she hates him for what he did to her dear friend, Vincent.

Poor Vincent! That monster made him suffer so much, and then sealed him away to an eternity of sorrow and grief. She knows how he feels. Lucrecia knows the guilt Vincent feels for not being able to help her or her child. She knows that he is not at fault, that it was her own foolishness that doomed her, and she hopes that someday her dear friend will come to understand that.

A tug on her sleeve brings Lucrecia's attention back to her child. She has come to learn this action means he's hungry. The boy's mind was already developing at an astonishing rate. He was already learning to communicate his desires efficiently and clearly. She would have been proud of him had she not known the development was unnatural.

As she prepared a bottle for the infant (Hojo wouldn't even leave her the right to breast feed her own child), Lucrecia thought on how unnatural everything has become, including herself. Her waking hours were plagued be horrendous visions of what she has come to realize was the future. Her heart cries out in sorrow every time she witnesses the actions of her son, resulting from his lost innocence and sanity. But soon she made another realization.

The visions represented only one possible future. At night her dreams are filled with images of her son at peace and happy, surrounded by people he loves and who love him back. These dreams give her hope that all is not lost, that her son still has a fighting chance against Hojo's twisted machinations. And oddly enough the only common factor in both possible futures is another boy. Blonde hair and bright blue eyes that either drove him mad with hate or fill his heart with tenderness. This boy is the key to her son's future, and she can only hope for the best.

Finished preparing the bottle, Lucrecia scoped the infant up in one arm and fed him using the other. He made content sounds as he suckled at the bottle. His mother smiled down at him sadly. He really was a little angel. Too bad Hojo was going to try his hardest to turn him into a demon…

As if by some turn of fate the devil himself walked into the room just as the baby was finishing his meal. Hojo raised an eyebrow at the tenderness in his wife's expression. "I hope you aren't getting too attached to the subject, Lucrecia. It is part of an experiment and is therefore expendable if it fails," he stated emotionlessly. Lucrecia tensed at his words, suddenly furious. Damn him…damn him! How dare he speak of her child like that!

The infant, sensing the sudden change of mood in his caretaker, squirmed in her grip. Lucrecia very carefully set him back down on the table before turning to face her tormentor. Hojo was momentarily taken aback by his wife's obvious fury. Realizing his lapse, he carefully schooled his features back into an emotionless mask. "Is there a problem, Lucrecia? You seem a bit upset," he queried, tone a model of indifference. This response only infuriated her further.

"Upset? You speak of my _son_ as if he is a mere _object_, and you have the nerve to ask what the problem is? You won't even let me _name_ him!" The words were spoken with the quite, contained anger that only a mother who wanted to protect her child but couldn't quite push aside her civilized upbringing could produce. Her fists clenched and her eyes glowed brightly with the mako that she had been injected with in the name of 'science,' and Hojo was suddenly reminded of how much of an advantage she now had over him; an advantage he had given her.

Even faced with his wife's wrath, Hojo maintained his composure, and once again raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why you're angry with me. You agreed to participate in this program. Nobody forced you," he said with a hint of disdain. He turned away from her, picked up a notebook, and started reviewing his notes. "The moment you gave your consent to participate in this phase of the project you gave up all rights to call the subject your son. As far as I'm concerned 'he' is an object," he added almost as an afterthought.

Lucrecia stared at him in horror and disgust. "How can you say that! He's your son, too, isn't he!" she hissed, her anger finally starting to boil over. Hojo paused in his perusal of his notes and regarded her thoughtfully for a moment before smiling. Lucrecia hated that smile. It was the smile he got when he knew something she didn't and wasn't going to admit it until it was far too late to matter. "Yes, indeed, I suppose it would be. Had circumstances been different it may have made a wonder apprentice, but alas, now it'll never be," he stated, almost wistfully. He was still staring at her with that disturbing smile. Lucrecia held still under his gaze, refusing to admit how much her husband unnerved her.

Hojo finally seemed to reach some kind of conclusion. He closed his notebook and approached the table that the infant lay on. Lucrecia tensed at his proximity to her child but didn't stop him. She would be damned if she let him get a reaction out of her. Hojo gazed at the infant thoughtfully before saying, "Very well, you may name him."

Lucrecia blinked, thrown by the sudden statement. Catching her startled like, he smirked at her. "You complained about not being able to name him. I assume you already have one picked out," he clarified. Lucrecia stared at her husband suspiciously before looking at her child. After a moments thought she responded. "Yes, I do. I want to name him Sephiroth."

Hojo's smirked grew into a full grin. "After the angel of retribution from one of the ancient religions. How symbolic," he almost purred, amusement shining in his eyes. _'You have no idea,'_ Lucrecia thought dryly. One way or another, her child would seek retribution…the only question was on _who._

Hojo laughed at the dark look on his wife's face. "Very well, Sephiroth it is then. You'll have your wish," he said. He looked back down at the newly christened infant, his grin turning nasty. "Well, 'Sephiroth,' I have plans for you."

Sephiroth, as if sensing the bleakness of his future finally cried, his wail echoing in the laboratory and in his mother's heart.

--------------------------------

**Notes #2:** Had a little trouble writing this chapter. I'm not entirely happy with how it turned out but then again it could be a lot worse. Oh, and about the "angel of retribution" thing…well that was inspired by doing a search on Wikipedia for 'Sephiroth.' What I found at first was a list of different subject matters that bore the name 'Sephiroth.' One, of course, was the video game character. The other two involved Jewish occultism. The one the "angel of retribution" was loosely based on the entry that vaguely mentioned that 'Sephiroth' was the name of an angel in 'so-called' "Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses." That's it. That's all it said. But it was enough to get my imagination going. Sooooo, our dear silver haired bishi is now named after a fictional "angel of retribution." Fitting, no? Also 'Sephiroth' looks a helluva lot like 'seraph,' _and_ he's called the "One Winged Angel." No brainer really.


End file.
